A separate and confidential electoral register that includes children aged as
young as 15 will be drawn up for the Scottish independence referendum, under
legislation published today.

All households north of the Border will receive a form asking parents to identify teenagers who will reach 16 by the time of the referendum, which is due to be staged in autumn next year.

Their details will be held on a separate Register of Young Voters (RYV), which will be used to give 16 and 17-year-olds a ballot in the referendum.

Amid concern about gathering the personal details of minors, including their dates of birth and addresses, the information will not be made public so it cannot be used by the likes of marketing companies.

The two main referendum campaigns will be given access but the RYV names will be mixed in with the main electoral register so they cannot tell who is a minor.

The Scottish Independence Referendum (Franchise) Bill gives British and EU citizens resident in Scotland the right to vote along with armed forces personnel serving elsewhere who are registered for a ballot north of the Border.

However, prisoners are to be denied a vote despite the UK Government asking a committee to consider rulings by Europe that a blanket ban on inmates taking part in elections breaches their human rights.

Despite the SNP’s enthusiasm for extending the franchise, elections experts have predicted the change will make little difference to support for independence, which has haemorrhaged at around 30 per cent.

Unveiling the legislation, Nicola Sturgeon, the Deputy First Minister, said: “No one has a bigger stake in the future of our country than today's young people and it is only right that they are able to have a say in the most important vote to be held in Scotland for three centuries.

“At 16, young people can marry, have children and pay taxes and it is therefore correct that they are given the right to vote on the future of the country in which they live. In modern Scotland, giving the vote to 16 and 17-year-olds is the right thing to do.”

The Bill applies only to the referendum, the date of which will be announced by Alex Salmond this month, and the voting age will revert to 18 in the 2015 general election and the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.

MSPs are expected to overwhelmingly approve the change, with the SNP enjoying a parliamentary majority at Holyrood and it also being supported by the Liberal Democrats.

The legislation places a duty on local electoral registration officers (EROS) to compile a list of children who will reach the age of 16 by the time of the referendum.

A canvass of households will take place between autumn this year and spring 2014, although eligible teenagers will be able to add their names to the electoral roll until 11 days before the vote.

A form will be sent to all Scottish households and its return “will be required if there is any young person resident at the address who will be eligible to vote in the referendum.”

It is expected that all young voters will be at least 15 at the time their details are captured. Each entry on the RYV must include the individual‘s name, date of birth, qualifying address and voter number.

The Scottish Government estimates the cost of the new register will be £358,000, including £240,000 for the necessary computer software and around £50,000 for the forms.